I don't own anything.
A/N: Alright it's time for yet another update but first off I want to thank my reviewers from last week; chaylorXtraylorlover, javasmoker, traylorlove, HeartsWereNeverMeantToRace, Aipom4, NaeNae1495, sweetchocolate26, LunaSolTierra, Tina, BabyGlover, chaylorfan and Sasural. Thank you all so much for Reviews. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and as usual please don't forget to Review.
Baby S
Chapter Three
It was Monday afternoon and Troy found himself sitting upstairs in his room quietly reading over the material that Taylor had instructed him to go over before she arrived today for their afternoon study session before he took his first major test for his history class. Glancing over at the alarm clock on his nightstand, he allowed himself to release a small smile when he saw that it was four o'clock, which meant that Taylor would be arriving at his home at any moment. Setting the book down, he pushed himself off the bed and headed out of his room. As he headed towards the stairs, he heard the sound of a soft whimper coming from his father's office. He knew immediately that it was the sound of his mother's crying, and the sound of her crying immediately erased whatever good feelings he had currently racing through him. He stood near the door listening to his mother crying. He didn't know how long he stood there, all he knew was that the only thing to pull him out of their now joint misery was the sound of the doorbell ringing. Shaking his head, he quickly stepped away door and headed downstairs. Swinging open the front door, he looked down at Taylor who stood there looking up at him. "You know I really didn't believe you when you told me what you would do last week." she stated as she slipped into his house while looking at him over her shoulder. Troy followed her with his eyes as he tried to go over just what she had been talking about.
"What are you talking about?" he asked his mind in utter confusion, mostly because he was still thinking about his mother upstairs who was probably still crying. Taylor turned to look at him then while shaking her head.
"My bodyguards," she stated with a smirk as she released the handle on her laptop bag and looked at him for a moment with a ghost of a smile spreading across her lips. She met Troy's blue eyes and placed her hand on her hip as she watched him. "I do have you to thank for that right?" Troy lifted a hand and massaged the back of his neck. He did remember putting in that call to Zeke after he got home from their weekly group therapy session. Looking back up at her, he saw her standing there watching him expectedly.
"Depends," he muttered as he raised an eyebrow and met her gaze head on. "Depends on if you're upset?" he asked with a small smirk as he looked at her. Taylor lifted a hand and tapped the bottom of her chin, twice before fixing her gaze on his eyes.
"Well, I'd say I'm about fifty-fifty."
"Fifty-Fifty?" Troy asked with a shake of his head. "And what exactly is that?"
"Oh you know happy and upset." she replied with a shrug, Troy walked over to her and picked up her laptop bag and headed towards their usual study spot in the dining room. Taylor quickly followed behind him anxious to know what he would say to her next.
"Well then I'll own up to the fifty percent that makes you happy," he stated as he sat her things down by her usual chair. "As for the other fifty, well I don't know anything about that. Someone else did it and it wasn't me."
"Oh so you're just going to disavow all knowledge of your boys?" she asked with a small smile as she looked at him. Troy only nodded his head and looked at her as he sat down in his usual spot at the table.
"That's what you do right, disavow all knowledge when things go bad right." he asked with a soft chuckle as he continued to look at her.
"I suppose." she replied with a shrug of her shoulders. Looking around the dining room, she frowned for a moment before shaking her head. The actions grabbed Troy's attention as he studied her for a bit.
"Is something wrong?"
"Nothing really," she paused again as she thought some things over. "Do you leave the house much?" To Troy the question seemed to come directly out of left field. Raising an eyebrow at her question, he simply shook his head. "So you only leave on Fridays for the group sessions?" Leaning back in his chair, Troy crossed his arms over his chest.
"What are you getting at, Taylor?"
"I'm not getting at anything. I was just asking you if you leave the house." she finished with a tired sigh. "I really don't mean anything by it. I was just asking you a question." Troy narrowed his eyes at her as he pushed his chair back and shot up to his feet.
"Why are you asking me about this?" he snapped out angrily as he looked at her. He didn't know why her questioning bothered him but it did. Taylor cut her eyes at him as he glared at her.
"I'm asking you these questions because I wanted to pay back for what you did for me, but now I'm seriously starting to reconsider that." she admitted with a sigh, Troy relaxed his shoulders a bit as he allowed himself to dwell on her words.
"I'm sorry about that I-."
"Will work on that temper of yours from now on right." she suggested as she stared him down. Troy just nodded his head, shyly while lowering his head. He had to admit that she was right. The attitude he had gotten with her wasn't right in the less bit.
"You're right, I will work on that." he stated softly as he looked at her. They both stood there silently for a few more minutes before he decided that to speak again, hoping that he could make the situation right again. "So, Taylor what did you have planned?" he asked. Taylor only looked over at him before shaking her head. Troy watched as she pulled out her chair and sat down in it before crossing her little arms over her chest.
"Well, now I'm not really sure you deserve it." she stated with a small smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. The smirk was all Troy needed to see to know that she was in fact joking with him. Moving around the table till he was at her side he reached out and grabbed one of her hands with his. He held it still despite her struggling and looked down at her.
"Oh come on I said I was sorry." he stated pulling out a pout that usually worked on his mother, Taylor's mouth dropped open in shock as she looked at Troy before a disbelieving smile went across her face. Troy immediately thought of a sunrise as he looked at her smiling face, only because her smile seemed to have that same affect on him. Everything that was covered in darkness within him becomes bright when she smiles at him.
"I know you aren't using some pout on me."
"I don't know," he stated with a sly grin of his own. "Tell me is it working." he asked as he continued to pout, laying it on as thick as he possibly could. Taylor looked into his eyes and released a deep sigh.
"Well. . ."
Troy groaned aloud as he tilted his head back to look at the sky above them. "I can not believe you think taking me to the park to study is a treat." The soft giggle that Taylor emitted at his words brought his head back down so he could look at her. "Studying is not a treat." he mumbled as he playfully glared at her while flipping the pages of his text book that was currently sitting on the picnic table. Taylor just looked at him with that smiled that warmed his soul and shook her head.
"It is a treat, Troy. You're learning and you're outside breathing in fresh air. You can hear the wind rustling, the birds chirping and-." Raising both of his hands in the air, Troy shook his head as he looked at her.
"Please don't write me a poem." he muttered as he flipped another page of his history book, while propping his elbow up on the table and staring at the small black words that covered the pages. "You know what could have been a real treat," he paused and waited for Taylor to look at him. "Some ice cream, a movie, a video game."
"A video game really?"
"What can I say I'm a geek about things like that." he stated as he looked at her. Taylor only nodded her head and sat the book down that she was currently reading, while Troy continued to hold her gaze. "See you're not the only person that might see themselves as a geek and really there's nothing wrong with being a geek. Everyone is a geek about something."
"I suppose you're right." she stated as she remembered their earlier conversation when she had told him that she wasn't that much of a geek.
"What am I right about?" he asked with a smirk. "What would count as a treat or-."
"Oh no you aren't right about that, this is a better treat then any of those you thought up. What you're right about is that we all have a geek within us." Troy sighed and just shook his head.
"Did I really say that cause it sounds like an awful public service announcement?" he released a playful shudder as he finished the statement.
"Yep, you did." she stated with a smirk, after that both of them settled down and focused on the book in front of them. Troy forced himself to read through the textbook in front of him, however every once in a while he couldn't help but lift his head up and looked over at Taylor. She seemed completely engrossed in the book before her. He continued this action for a little bit longer before finally asking the question that had been on the tip of his tongue ever since she brought him out here.
"Do you do this type of thing often?" he asked softly as he pushed his book away from him and while looking over at a group of laughing children who were playing a game of tag nearby. Taylor followed his gaze while putting her book down. They both sat there silently watching the kids play around, until the group moved further down the way and their laughter for the most part started fading. Taylor kept her gaze on them despite the distance as she answered Troy's question.
"My Dad used to bring me here when I was a kid," she paused and allowed a sad smile to graced her face as she thought about it. "It used to be our Saturday event. He'd make a show of clearing his schedule and then he'd bring me here for a day of fun." Troy watched her silently, taking in the way her facial features softened as she thought about her father and the times they used to have together. He fingered the top corner of his textbook as he watched her. "I come here now to relax and to be close to him."
"I've changed my mind," Troy spoke his voice softly as he allowed his eyes to settle on her. "This trip is a good treat." Taylor just sighed and shook her head as she picked her book back up. She looked at him briefly before focusing on the book in front of her.
"You don't have to say that, Troy. I was simply answering your question. I wasn't trying to-."
"You sharing something like that with me-makes this place special. . . I mean it makes this trip a good treat for a good deed. I'm glad you think enough of me to share this." he stuttered out as he looked at her. Taylor reached across the table and placed her small hand on top of his larger one.
"I consider you my friend Troy, especially since you have your boys playing high-school bodyguards for me and to some extent my friends." Troy smirked at that, and leaned forward so that he was a little bit closer to her.
"And I consider you my friend as well, which is why you get the high-school bodyguards." he stated with a wink as he moved back away from her. She graced him with a smile and then picked up her book and flipped opened to the page she had it on earlier when he had interrupted her with his question. He sat there watching her silently thinking about how he wanted her to be the friend that he shared stuff with-the good and the bad. They already had so many things in common, unfortunately the death of a family member was one of them, but still they had things in common. He wanted Taylor to be the friend that he could talk to when he had to get things off his chest.
"Troy?" he looked up and met her gaze, Taylor gave him a small smile and then pointed at his book. "Study and then maybe I'll let you push me on the swings."
"Man you just brought me out here to work." he pouted playfully as picked up his book and made a show of reading the first paragraph. Taylor just watched him with a smile on her face, he looked back up at her and grinned. "But I can handle it." She just shook her head and gave her attention back to her book while trying her best not to blush.
Taylor smiled over at Troy as he led her out of his house later on that afternoon, with her laptop bag in hand. "Maybe we can make the park a weekly trip or something." he mused as he handed her bag to her driver who quickly took it from his hand and walked towards the trunk of the car to put it up. Taylor just looked up at Troy and squinted her eyes at him as if she could barely see him.
"I don't know about that," she stated with a smirk. "Let's see how you do on your test and then I'll see."
"I'll be holding you to that." Troy replied back with a dashing smile. "I'll see you tomorrow then," he gave his usual nod of bye to Wilson and then turned on his feet to head back inside. As he opened the door, he turned back around and looked at Taylor. "Oh and Tay." she turned at the sound of his voice a look of a surprise on her face as she registered the nickname that he had just given her.
"Yes?"
"Do you want my friends to continue being your 'bodyguards,'" he said as he raised his hands in the air and made air quotes. "Cause if not-."
"No it's fine, me and I friends rather like the knights of your round table." Troy just nodded his head and then disappeared into the house with a smile on his face. As soon as the door closed, Taylor looked over at Wilson who stood beside her with a small smirk tugging at his lips that were usually set in a grim expression.
"Knights of the round table, Ms. Taylor." he stated with a raised eyebrow. "And I suppose that makes you Queen Guinevere." Taylor just looked at him as he opened the door for her and slipped inside.
"Sure laugh it up, Wilson."
"I wasn't laughing I just found it rather clever." with that said he closed the door, and walked around to the front. As soon as the door closed, Taylor set her things down and quickly began putting on her seatbelt.
"I assume by that little display that you enjoyed yourself this afternoon, Ms. Taylor. Right?" Wilson asked as they pulled away from Troy's house. Taylor only nodded her head as she settled back against the seat trying to get her rapidly beating heart to calm down while reaching out for the arm rest that was located on her door. Wilson looked back at her from the rearview mirror and released a winced. "I'm sorry Ms. Taylor. . .I believe I might have pulled off to fast." he stated sincerely as he kept his eyes on her. Taylor looked up at his voice and gripped the armrest harder.
"Wilson please pay attention to the road, I'm fine." she rushed out hoping that he would do just as she suggested. Feeling slightly guilty for not providing her with a better ride home, Wilson nodded his head and returned his eyes back to the road before them. "And I thought I told you to call me Taylor?" she called back the quivering that he had heard earlier in her voice now completely gone.
"I thought we decided that Ms. Taylor was the perfect compromise." he called back to her with a smirk on his face. "By the way, you never truly answered my question." he stated as he turned the car. He paused as he heard a sharp intake of breath, as well as a quiet voice whispering for him to slow down. Once they were driving straight again, Taylor spoke up even though her voice was once again literally shaking.
"I did enjoy myself, Wilson."
"I could tell, I just wanted to hear you say it. Due to your earlier comment, I could tell that you are quite taken with the boy," he paused and released a chuckle. "Or am I just imagining things."
"He's a friend, Wilson." she stated with a shake of her head, Wilson just smiled at her words and continued driving. "Is there anything else I should know, any news for today?" Wilson cut his eyes up towards the rearview mirror so he could look at her. He knew what she was hinting at, she asked him everyday mostly because she was dreading it, and today he didn't have any good news for her.
"Your mother has returned from Europe, Taylor." he stated softly, he knew what type of reaction this bit of news would bring about. The girl and her mother were to different, Taylor was sweet and innocent. While her mother was every nasty thing a person could think of to be.
"My mother is really back?"
"Yes," he drawled out his voice cold and taking on a tone of complete disgust. A tone he only had for Taylor's mother. He never really knew what her father saw in the woman, she was truly a piece of trash. Mr. McKessie had hardly been in the ground for a month before she started parading different men throughout the house. Maybe it was her way of getting back at Desmond McKessie for basically leaving her nothing but hundred thousand dollars. Everything else he left to his only child, Taylor. "Your mother has returned and unfortunately she had returned with a friend."
"A friend." Taylor muttered, she knew what he meant when he said friend, which was really another man that her mother was currently sleeping with. Probably some rich man she met either in Europe or this man was the reason she dropped everything so he could take her to Europe. Her mother wasn't anything less than a gold digger. Which was probably why she had been raised by a nanny and her father. Her mother was far to busy shopping and being seen at the latest hot spots, to bother raising her own child.
"Yes, a friend." he muttered softly as he turned into their gated community. "Don't dwell on that, though Ms. Taylor. As usual my advice is to ignore them and worry about yourself. Janice should be there this afternoon."
"Where will you be?"
"My grandson is graduating from pre-k tonight so unfortunately I won't be there for you tonight." Wilson stated with a sigh. "But Janice has told me that she will look out for you, so don't worry you won't be alone." He looked behind him and saw Taylor looking out the window as the car started its winding climb up to the McKessie Estate.
"Well you tell Tyler that I said hi."
"Oh I most certainly will, but you know he's going to be upset. He hasn't seen you in weeks." Wilson stated with a chuckle. "That boy is certainly head over heels for you Ms. Taylor." He stated as he thought about his grandchild. Taylor just nodded her head as the car pulled up to a stop outside of the estate. Wilson quickly exited the car, and walked over to Taylor's car door. Pulling open the door, he reached down and helped Taylor out of the car. Just as the front door of the house opened. Taylor looked up at the doorway and saw her mother Whitney McKessie.
Wilson pulled Taylor's bag out of the trunk and placed a hand on her back. "Everything is going to be okay, Ms. Taylor." he whispered just as Whitney McKessie rushed down the steps, putting on the air that most caring mother had from day one.
"Taylor, oh my goodness it's been so long." she gushed out as she pulled her daughter into a hug. Taylor stiffly allowed herself to be pulled into the hug. She looked over her mother's shoulder and saw a rather tall African American man standing in the doorway watching them closely. The man gaze settled on hers and Taylor felt a certain chill roll up her spine.
"Hi Mom." she muttered softly as she stepped out of her mother's embrace. Whitney McKessie looked over her shoulder at Wilson and raised an eyebrow.
"What are you standing there for Wilson, those bags aren't going to move themselves." she snapped and clapped her hands together. Wilson narrowed his eyes at her, but moved up the stairs towards the house. "Now you come on inside and let me tell you all about my trip."
"Mom-." Whitney waved her warning call off and rapidly shook her head as she placed a hand on her daughter's back and literally pushed her up the stairs.
"I know what you're going to say, you were going to tell me about all that homework you have to get done," she paused and shook her head at her daughter the moment Taylor opened her mouth to speak up. "We both know that you already have that done, you always did have your head in those books. Listening to those little black words instead of paying attention to your mother."
"When have you ever had anything of substance to say?" Taylor whispered out coldly as she looked up at her mother. Whitney narrowed her eyes at her daughter but whatever response she was planning on saying was quickly washed away by the overly exited voice of the man, Taylor could only assume was her mother's current boyfriend.
"And just who is this, Whitney?" he asked brightly as he looked down at Taylor with a rather large grin on his face. Taylor eyed him suspiciously, before stepping to the side so that she was away from both her mother and him.
"This is my daughter Taylor and Taylor this is the current man in life. . .Charles Harold." Charles turned his attention towards Taylor and extended his hand towards her.
"Nice to meet you, Taylor. I've heard a lot about you."
"I'm sure." she drawled out softly as she caught the harsh look that her mother was currently sending her way. "Nice to meet you Mr. Harold."
"Call me Charles." he stated with a grin, as Whitney watched them silently, after a few more moments, Whitney clasped her hands together and looked at them both.
"How about we head inside and eat dinner and get to know one another better inside instead of on these steps?" Charles just nodded and turned on his heel and headed towards the house. Taylor watched him silently before she felt her mother's hand on her back gently urging her forward. She released one quiet sigh before heading inside the house.
As they sat around the dinner table, Taylor tried her best to focus on the meal that Janice had cooked up but found that she really couldn't with Charles and her mother there asking her all types of questions, about what she had been doing while they had been on a winter vacation that had lasted well into the spring. "How about this summer we all go on a trip," Charles declared with a wide grin that didn't really reach his eyes. Taylor took a bite of her steak, while looking over at the man. "What do you think?" he asked looking over at her mother, who just nodded her head in agreement.
"That sounds like a lovely idea." Taylor's mother gushed as she took a sip of her wine while looking at Charles. "Taylor what do you say?"
"I can't do that," Taylor stated softly as she looked at Charles who was currently sending her a rather harsh look. "I'm currently tutoring someone and-."
"Isn't that the school's job, I mean if someone dumb enough to get in trouble with grades during high school then they simply need to prepare themselves for working at one of the fast food restaurants here around town." Taylor felt herself getting angry at the harsh way this man was currently talking about Troy. Letting her fork hit her plate, she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.
"He's not dumb, he's going through a hard time and the school asked me to tutor him because I'm good at what I do." Charles just shook his head at her words before looking over at Whitney who simply watched her daughter silently.
"Please, there's a lot of things that are going to end up being hard in life." he stated as he raised his eyebrows at Whitney silently asking her for help.
"Yes, and just because this boy can't handle this um, certain life crisis doesn't mean you have to drop everything in your life to help him. I mean likes be real, you lost your father but that didn't stop you from doing good in school. So whatever this boy's problem is," she paused and looked at her daughter without in a flash of regret in her eyes for so callously mentioning the death of Taylor's father. "He needs to get over it and move on with his life."
"You don't know what you're talking about."
"Look, we're all black here," Whitney stated with a sigh. "I bet you that boy is one of their white star students huh. Someone that has probably never even paid you attention and here you are playing mammy to him."
"No, I'm not."
"Then you tell me this. Did the school approach you? And did this boy even talk or look in your direction when he was doing well in school. Or is he now because he needs his mammy to help him in school." Whitney finished her statement by looking at her daughter. Taylor turned and glared at her mother before shaking her head.
"You have no right to say those type of things to me."
"Oh please I have every right. I never understood why your father moved us here. This place is extremely backwards," she paused and looked over at Charles. "Or backwoods, whichever term you prefer." She then returned her attention back to Taylor. "I'm simply looking out for you, Taylor. You can't spend your whole life looking out for people because 9 times out of 10 they simply won't return the favor."
"I'm going to my room." Taylor muttered as she pushed her chair back. Whitney called her name but she didn't stop, she just continued on until someone roughly yanked her back. Taylor stumbled back against Charles' massive chest. He glared down at her for a brief moment, Taylor struggled against his hold but Charles didn't released her. "Let me go."
"How about I let you go," he lifted his free hand and pointed over towards the table. "When you get back at the table and wait for your mother to dismiss you." Charles voice had gotten dangerously low as he looked down at her. "Do we having an understanding?"
"Charles?" Whitney McKessie stated with a sigh. "It's alright she can go." Charles glanced back down at Taylor for a moment before releasing her. Taylor rubbed her arm where the skin was throbbing and looked up at him. He met her gaze and leaned down towards her. He was so close that she could smell the wine on his breath.
"You need to be more respectful from now on. Little girls need to have respect for their elders before you force someone to teach it to you." With that last warning, he stepped away from her and headed back towards the kitchen table. Taylor blinked back tears as she looked at him before hightailing it out of the kitchen and upstairs to her room. Once she was in her room, she slammed the door closed and pressed herself up against it for a moment while taking a deep breath. How could her mother just sit there and allow someone random man to man handle her like that. Like she was absolutely nothing at all. She was pretty sure her mother wasn't even addressing what had happened and why it was so wrong for him to do what he did. Her mother didn't care about her and she had proved it once again tonight. Pushing herself away from the door, she looked over at her book bag glad that she had finished her homework earlier that day at the park with Troy. Walking over to her closet, she pulled out her towel and headed for the bathroom intent on getting ready for bed. She didn't have anything else she wanted to get done except go to sleep and hope that the day came quickly.
As she settled into her bed later on that night, there was a knock at her door. She didn't move to get out of the bed instead she sat there and watched as her mother opened the door. "Taylor?" her mother called out as she stepped into the room. Whitney McKessie walked over to her daughter's bed and sat down with a sigh. "We both know you aren't asleep so please just wake up so I can talk to you."
"Unless this is an apology for that man and you're here to tell me that you tossed him out on his ass after I left dinner-."
"Let's not be ridiculous, Taylor. You brought that on yourself down there. You talked back to me, and Charles like the good man he is called you on that error and now you're upset because he did that." Whitney shook her head as she stared down at her daughter. As Taylor pushed herself up in the bed and turned towards her mother.
"I'm going to tell Wilson and the Lloyd what happened and-."
"And what," Whitney stated with a sneer as she looked at her daughter. "I'll deny it and then I'll drop Wilson and his foolish son Lloyd from payroll. Do you really want to be responsible for their lost of income."
"I'll take care of them." Taylor snapped out angrily. She had the money to do so, especially since her father had left her all the money he had besides the mere hundred thousand dollars he left her mother.
"Really, with money that you can't touch until you're eighteen." she asked with a sneer. "Please I'd like to see you try. Now get some sleep, and please try not to be the little disrespectful bitch that you are in the future. Charles won't stand for it and I won't stand in his way." with that said Whitney pushed herself up from the bed and stalked out of the bedroom. Taylor waited till the door was closed before getting out of bed and rushing over to the door so she could lock it. Once the door was locked she walked back over to her bed and laid down. She glanced at the picture of her and her father that she had on the nightstand, while resting her head on her pillow. Why did he have to die and leave her with her mother? Why didn't her mother just leave her alone? Why did she still let the cutting remarks from her mother bother her? She asked herself these questioning over and over again before finally falling into a tearful sleep.